As voting begins for 2019 Pennsylvania River of the Year, a chat with Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper‘s Carol Parenzan about last year’s winner, Loyalsock Creek. Then: plenty of groups and government agencies are working independently to restore Pennsylvania’s forest lands. Could...
At PEC we believe in “conservation through cooperation”: an ethic of connection, engagement, and close collaboration with partners. By convening a diverse group of stakeholders to focus on a problem we achieve not only a better understanding of the challenges...
In working to clean up one of Pennsylvania’s most impaired urban watersheds, the members of the Wissahickon Clean Water Partnership face a daunting challenge. But the coalition also has a major advantage: a shared recognition that working together is the...
The site of Barbara Bradford’s home near Canawacta Creek in Lanesboro, Susquehanna County, is as historic as it is picturesque. Built in the 1830s, the stone cottage stands amid the remnants of a small commercial district – complete with blacksmith...
An important part of PEC’s mission is working with community and watershed groups to strengthen connections to their riverfronts, identify and implement strategies to enhance water quality, and protect and restore waterways. Often this means helping to forge regional trail...
Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are both on Bloomberg Philanthropies’ list of 20 American cities being recognized for leading the way on climate action, each receiving up to $2.5 million to accelerate existing sustainability work. We talk with the director of Philly’s...
Cambria County’s business, government, and nonprofit sectors are teaming up with citizens to reinvent the historically flood-ravaged city of Johnstown. We explore Johnstown’s evolution through the work of the Vision 2025 initiative and the Laurel Highlands Conservation Landscape.
The morning of October 12 was cold and windy in Cumberland, Maryland, where the Great Allegheny Passage begins. Despite the weather, the ten PEC staffers and friends milling about at the Mile Zero marker were smiling as they awaited the...
On October 2, 35 people attended a community outreach session regarding the Liberty Bell Trail, proposed to span ten miles between Telford and Quakertown. As a new PEC Trails Program Coordinator facilitating my first public trail feasibility meeting, I wasn’t...
An update on the expired – but not yet extinguished – Land and Water Conservation Fund, and a visit to the 2018 Industrial Heartland Trails Coalition Summit in Morgantown, WV. Links: Save the Land and Water Conservation Fund Industrial Heartland...
The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) expired on September 30th, despite widespread bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. That means one of the most successful conservation and recreation programs in our nation’s history now sits idle, unable...
Pennsylvania has an opportunity to substantially lower emissions of methane from our natural gas industry, the nation’s second-largest, simply by requiring better monitoring and quicker response to leaks on well pads. Finding and fixing these leaks will mean significantly reducing...